The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Candida the Roman
d. late 3rd century (martyr under Bahram II) · Roman captive · Wife of the king · Martyr · Sasanian Persia
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Candida the Roman was
A Roman prisoner of war taken into the harem of King Bahram II and, on the evidence of her Passion, the subject of the earliest Persian martyr text of all — earlier than the whole Shapur corpus. She refused to renounce Christ at the cost of her position and her life. The text survives in a single Syriac witness and its principal modern edition is in copyright, so the archive records the attestation and flags the gap: the mention stands, the quotable excerpt does not yet.
Named once in the sources within the horizon; no other ancient witness names her.
Also listed in martyrs and women.
Common questions
When did Candida die?
Candida the Roman is dated d. late 3rd century (martyr under Bahram II) in the archive, which places Candida in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Candida?
Candida the Roman is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Martyrdom of Candida. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Candida from?
The archive associates Candida the Roman with Sasanian Persia.
Who were Candida’s contemporaries?
The archive links Candida the Roman to 1 other figure, including Shapur II. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (1)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
The Syriac Martyrdom of Candida — the earliest Persian martyr text; single manuscript witness
c. AD 350[Attestation recorded; no public-domain English text of the Syriac exists — excerpt withheld rather than paraphrased.]Martyrdom of Candida · Martyrdom of Candida
A short Syriac passion of the Roman-born concubine of Shapur II, the earliest named Christian martyr under Sasanian rule. Preserved in a single manuscript; edited with English translation by Sebastian Brock, ‘A Martyr at the Sasanid Court under Vahram II: Candida’, Analecta Bollandiana 96 (1978).
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 235 · Maximinus Thrax targets the clergy, AD 235
- AD 250 · The Decian persecution, AD 250
- AD 251 · The Novatianist schism, AD 251
- AD 257 · The Valerian persecution, AD 257
- AD 260 · Gallienus’ edict of toleration, AD 260
- AD 268 · Antioch deposes Paul of Samosata, AD 268
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Candida.
- 1Sasanian Persiaprovince only